I just wanted to drop by and mention that the development of Monomyth is progressing very nicely. I'm busy preparing the game for its closed beta, which should start toward the end of June.
Here is a quick video overview of some of the things that have happened throughout the first quarter of 2022.
If you are interested in a more detailed breakdown of some of these features, please check out the various updates posted on the game's Kickstarter page.
I will try to keep you posted more frequently in the future!
Best wishes, Michael
A Personal Thank You | Kickstarter Encore
Hi dungeon-crawling fans,
today I would like to address you via a short video message:
[previewyoutube="IE4-5eKWmwQ;full"]
Thank you all again for your fantastic support! I'm looking forward to content creation now and I will be happy to keep you updated about that as well.
Best wishes, Michael
Kickstarter Encore (PayPal Backer Option) http://rattowersoftware.com/store/kickstarter.html
Hotfix 1.03b + An unexpected treat
Hi dungeon-crawling fans!
A small bug found its way into the halls of Lysandria with the last patch. That is why I decided to release a little hotfix today. Here are the patch notes:
You should be able to play the entire harp again
Character attribute buffs/debuffs are now colored accordingly in the character menu
Requirements and damage on the broadsword are now properly balanced
Disabled inventory access during an attack
Parrying with swords and the dagger is now accompanied by the correct sound effect
Holding a torch in front of you (Standard: ) should now consistently set inflammable objects (powder kegs, wall torches, etc) on fire.
Also, after being pulled from GoG a few weeks ago, Ultima Underworld 1+2 are now available again!
Better yet, they are both free until the 3rd of September (as well as the first two Syndicate games by the way)! So, if you want to conveniently check out one of Monomyth's biggest inspirations, you can now do that! In case the game's controls are too archaic for you in their original form, there is also a Unity port (and plenty of excellent install guides for the same).
More updates to come!
Best wishes,
Michael
Monomyth Demo: Patch v1.03
Hi, dungeon-crawling fans!
The latest version of the demo is now available on Steam, itch.io, and indieDB!
Here are the patch notes:
You can now rebind your controls (System -> Game Settings)
You can now skip the intro (Press Esc twice)
The character menu will now show descriptions for character attributes
The documents tab has been restructured and renamed to "Notes"
Documents now use a bigger font size and are easier to read
There is new a skill menu providing an overview of skills and your current character build
You can take all items from a container with the "Activate" button (Standard: F) and close containers with the "Inventory" button (Standard: Tab) or ESC
Increased the radius of "Magic Arrow" projectiles which should be easier to aim now
Slightly increased base movement speed
Post-processing options should work again (these are temporary "overall" settings)
Slightly increased the range of swords
Fixed the range on the "Wooden Club"
Equipment checks now work on the basis of equipment-adjusted attributes instead of raw character attributes
Toned down particles on "Divine Light" - also, the particles should now correctly disappear after death
Fixed collision on bushes at the trader's gate.
Improved chimney collision
Accelerated horizontal mouse sensitivity to better match vertical sensitivity
Character names are now limited to 30 letters
Fixed a glitch that would let players escape the map and enter the serpent bastion's cellar/caves
Players should experience slight performance increases
Toned down the glitter on fireflies when AA is turned off.
You can no longer mantle through stairs
Minor fixes in spell descriptions and balance
Various invisible bug fixes
If you downloaded the demo on Steam it will automatically update. If you used the files from itch.io or indieDB you will have to re-download the data (you should be able to re-use your old characters though).
Best wishes and have fun! Michael
Steam Demo Now Available | Kickstarter Fully Funded
Hi, dungeon-crawling fans!
Just in time for the weekend: Monomyth's Kickstarter Demo is now available on Steam!
Meanwhile, the Kickstarter campaign is already a great success! After less than three days the initial funding goal was achieved and we are already heading for the second stretch goal!
If you would like to support the Kickstarter you can do so over here.
In the following days, I will go through the demo feedback and update the available build. Just a heads up: In this version (1.02), there is still is a small problem with the Wooden Club (the weapon's range was accidentally reduced). This issue, as well as a couple of other things, will be resolved in the next version.
Have fun and best wishes! Michael
Monomyth's Kickstarter is now live!
Hi, dungeon-crawling fans!
I'm happy to announce that Monomyth is now live on Kickstarter! You can find the project page here:
As for the demo, I must apologize to Steam users since the demo build is still under review by Valve. I expect that to be done around Thursday - hopefully earlier. However, that does not mean you have to wait! You can try the demo right now! Just head over to itch.io:
The demo is a short introduction to the grim world of Monomyth. You will find yourself in the Serpent's Bastion, trying to enter the great underground fortress of Lysandria.
A little tip for your adventure: Not all rats are the same.
I already want to thank all of you most sincerely for your patience! Some of you have followed this project literally for years. I am confident, that, with your feedback and support, it can truly carry on the torch of its inspirations.
Thank you and best wishes! Michael
P.S.: If you haven't seen it already, you can watch the HD trailer for the Kickstarter:
Monomyth will be coming to Kickstarter on the 27th of July, 2021, at 7 pm CET / 1 pm EST.
As a part of this Kickstarter campaign, you will be able to try a demo of Monomyth yourself! In this demo you will travel to the Serpent's Bastion, an outpost of Lysandria, and a bulwark against the many dangers that lurk in the wastelands surrounding the ancient fortress.
You will be able to create your own character and customize its stats to your liking. The demo will feature dialogue, puzzles, combat, and the full tutorial area of the game - though, it won't hold your hand too much and there is enough room for exploration.
Why a Kickstarter?
You may wonder, why now? Why a Kickstarter after all these years. The answer is, that Monomyth is now entering a phase of development where certain costs arise (equipment, software tools, legal fees, etc), and some assets - most of all the music - have to be done by contractors. While I do a lot of assets myself I am not a musician, so, besides financing core development, that is where the money would go.
So, when will Monomyth be released?
There is still some content to be made, some dialogue to be written and some assets to be created. Feature-wise Monomyth is already on a good track. There will still be some changes to NPCs and the AI.
Monomyth is scheduled for Q2, 2022.
Originally I wanted to go for early 2022 - and I still think that is realistic - but I do not wish to delay it yet another time in case something unforeseen pops up. I tried to calculate a realistic goal and added a little bit. This time is actually a hard deadline. If you followed past updates you know that this is now my full-time job, and given how it went over the last couple of months I would really like it if it stayed that way. Talking of which...
What about the future?
Since the Kickstarter will also cover some legal fees for the (one-man) company that I have established over the last couple of months, it's only right to quickly discuss what you can expect from Rat Tower Software in the future.
Now, besides the obvious possibility of developing sequels to Monomyth, I wrote down numerous ideas over the years, some of which I believe are worth developing into full projects. These range from small to medium titles, most of which share a lot of DNA with Monomyth and the first-person RPG genre. Personally, I would like to expand this formula by a few simulation aspects that work on a higher level than just moment-to-moment gameplay.
But it is too early to chat about these things. I only want you to know that my intention is to build a stable long-term operation for an established audience - and that is you!
It is your wishes that count in the end. Even more so, when they overlap with my personal taste. As for Monomyth, I believe that the result will be just in that sweet spot.
I am looking forward to your feedback! See you in a week and a half!
Best wishes, Michael
Development Update: Full-time focus and the coming months
Hi all!
I am very happy to inform you that Monomyth is now under full-time development! As announced earlier this year I left my academic position in February. I did my final exam last week and now I can entirely focus on this project. I'm glad to report that development is already progressing at a much faster pace! So let's quickly recap what has been happening over the last couple of weeks:
But most of the work went into the new tutorial area, which is also the beginning of the game:
The next few months will be quite critical for the development of Monomyth. During Q2 of 2021 you will see three things: A trailer, a demo, and a Kickstarter campaign. The reception of all of these will help me assess the situation and give me a little guidance on how to scale future development. If the Kickstarter campaign does well I can hire artists to produce additional assets (first and foremost music). If the campaign underperforms, I will have to make some adjustments here and there. Either way, Monomyth is making good progress and I’m excited for the coming months. I’ll keep you posted (from now on, more frequently than in the past)!
See you soon! rattower
Monomyth: New Year's Update
Hi,
today I have a short video update for you:
[previewyoutube="0XsjQbOfI1c;full"]
In it, I talk about the work that has been done over the last couple months and how I will continue this project.
We take a look at:
Environments
Interactivity
Combat
Spells
Character & Inventory System
NPCs & Dialogue
For the future, the most important pieces of information are the following:
Development will slow down, roughly until the end of february - after that however, I will focus full-time on this project
Once that is so there will be a kickstarter campaign asap
During the kickstarter campaign there will be a demo
I'm also thinking about keeping this format for future updates. So stay tuned for more and see you soon!
rattower
A quick update
Hi,
since some of you folks were worried about this project, I decided to give you a little update. First of all, I can relieve your minds: Monomyth is still very actively under development. Things are still happening (almost) daily.
However, as you can probably imagine, this year went a little different to what we all expected. As a result I had very little vacation time, which is what I need to really prepare the updates that would push the alpha forward. Instead I focused on level design / content creation, because if you get interrupted there - say, for a couple days - it's not so dramatic. So here's a little overview of some of the things I've been working on over the last couple months:
Lysandria is a coherent environment. Naturally it needs a sewer system.
Magic devices may sometimes reveal things you were not supposed to see.
Long ago Lysandria was a center of trade. The mines underneath brought wealth and prosperity.
Verticality plays a major role in all areas.
Not every corner of Lysandria is dangerous. Some places are peaceful and allow you to relax for a while.
The Lysandrians were rather devout. The whole area is filled with shrines and temples to worship their ancient gods.
The roots of the fortress reach deep down into the underworld.
I also improved the level design workflow quite a bit. Some of it is now handled through a tile map interpreter which makes it easier to block out / prototype simple dungeon environments. Basically, with this method I "draw" tiled environments on a layered image, which is then interpreted as a 3D environment (z-axis information is coming from the layers). Here's an example on how that works:
A tile map drawn in UE4's internal tile map editor
The interpreted 3D environment (early)
A more complex environment produced with the same method
I've also been overhauling the character animation setup. Many NPCs now share a single animation rig, which is again (essentially) a workflow improvement because it allows for modular characters. I posted an example for this over at Twitter. My main gripe with Steam's update section is the size limitation on gifs. Then again those are absolutely terrible on twitter as well (plus the compression is awful), so I might look for an entirely different solution.
Further, I also put some time into making friendly NPCs attackable. Attacking them naturally has a negative effect on your faction relationships. I will have more information on this (and other stuff) in the next update(s).
Talking of which, I'll try to keep this place more up-to-date in the future (haha, whoops!). Sorry for that! See you soon!
